Photo Credit: California Historical Society
Estelle Carpenter and friends on muleback, Yosemite. Carpenter was a music teacher and Supervisor of Music in San Francisco Public Schools. According to the California Historical Society:
Estelle Carpenter served as Supervisor of Music for San Francisco Public Schools from 1897 to 1945. Known as that “dynamo in skirts,” she inspired generations of school children to “breathe deeply,” and sing praises to San Francisco, “the city we all love.” It was under her guidance that the school system initiated one of the most innovative and thorough musical programs in the nation. As patriotic as she was gifted, Carpenter combined modern methods of instruction with tradition and sentiment.